The Two Towers
by Maria3
Summary: PG, will probably go up later, This is me inserting a female charactor cuz I feel like it Yeah!


Alright here is my mary-sue, Legolas romance!!! Vall I hope you happy!  
  
  
  
What all three missed was the figure watching them from the edge of the forest.  
  
*****  
  
Gimli was convinced that the Elf had gone insane. Legolas kept darting away from the group into the woods, only to appear again several yards ahead. And he kept on muttering to himself. Legolas's voice startled the Dwarf out of his thoughts, "Nad no ennas."  
  
They all slowly reached for their weapons, but before they could draw them, something attacked. Gimli was caught in a snare that drew him several feet above the ground. Aragorn was caught with two very ornate daggers pinning him to a tree by the cloak under his arms. Beside him Legolas was nailed similarly to the tree by arrows, with two additional ones through the cloth of his pants by his knees and one in between his legs, more of a warning than anything.  
  
"Let me down!" Gimli shouted. Quickly overcoming the shock of the sudden attack, Aragorn found his voice. "Who attacks without provocation?"  
  
"Who enters my forest without permission?" a strangely musical voice answered, yet they still could not see the source.  
  
"We are at your mercy. Show yourself and we will give you our names," Aragorn answered.  
  
A musical laughter reached their ears. "You are right that you are helpless, but you still try to negotiate. Much better than Orcs!" The voice was now coming from the tree across from them. "But your terms are fair." A figure dropped from the tree, landing gracefully into a crouch.  
  
Aragorn and Legolas's jaws dropped in unison (Gimli's beard was in the way so he couldn't see). Before them stood an Elvish woman, dressed in a pair of loose men's long pants and a billowing white shirt, over which was a leather bodice, emphasizing her already voluptuous figure. Her face was the same high-boned, delicate structure, but it was unusually tan for an Elf and her eyes were a brilliant green. The strange thing was her flaming red hair that was in a complicated braid configuration at the scalp with the rest gathered and hanging down her back like a horsetail. Slung over her back was a quiver and a bow. Around her waist was a belt with a short empty scabbard at each hip that Aragorn assumed the daggers pinning him to the tree belonged.  
  
"I have shown myself, now who are you that enter my forest unbidden?" the lady asked, crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
Quickly finding his voice, Aragorn replied, "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, this is Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, and hanging beside you is Gimli son of Gloin, we are in search of our companions. Two Hobbits, they would appear no more than children to you. Have you seen them?"  
  
The lady smiled, "Well spoken, and yes, I have seen them. They met someone they did not expect and now are traveling to safety with Treebeard the Ent. Mischievous little creatures, insisted on touching my hair to see if it was real, and later I found myself several provisions lighter." She smiled as she moved to cut Gimli down. "I'm sorry about the attack, but with the increase of enemies I've come to attack first and ask later." She gently lowered Gimli to the ground, leaving him to untangle his own leg and mumble  
  
about Elves which he'd yet to get a good look at. She moved to where Aragorn and Legolas were nailed to the tree. It was then that they both saw that she was relatively short for an Elf, coming only to about Legolas's shoulder. Pulling the daggers free, she released Aragorn, then cut the arrows to Legolas was free. Once they were all standing and Gimli got over his first impression, the lady spoke. "I am Iara Iralen, my family and I used to live at the edge of Fangorn Forest between Rohan and Isengard. Have any of you heard of the Elves of Harvest Wood?"  
  
Recognition dawned on Legolas's face. "Yes, my father had once thought to create an alliance, by arranging a marriage between me and one of the daughters of the Lord. He went to discuss it and came back complaining about women now knowing their place."  
  
Iara's face split into a wide grin. "I remember your father because I was the daughter in question, I am the eldest and only surviving child of the late Lord and Lady Iralen of Harvest Wood. Your father was not pleased with my behavior. He particularly did not appreciate my friendship with the young Théodén, current king of Rohan. He was staying with us to learn some skills. The final straw was when I told him you'd have to beat me in a fight before I'd marry you."  
  
In the meantime, this exchange had been in such rapid Elvish that even Aragorn was having trouble keeping up and Gimli was completely lost. Switching back to the Common Tongue, Legolas asked, "What do you mean late Lord and Lady Iralen? Has something happened or have they just left for Valinor?"  
  
A dark look crossed Iara's features. "I was away with a small hunting party, when a large group of Uruk-Hai attacked Harvest Wood. They attacked during a resting hour. None were left alive. When my two companions and I returned, they went mad with rage. They tried to storm directly into Isengard and were killed before they reached the gate. I retreated to an old talan in the forest, now Lady of the forest I've been keeping clear of  
  
enemies and caring for those in need. Now come, it is late, and there is someone at my talan that you should meet," she explained, leading them deeper into the forest.  
  
*****  
  
As they walked, the three companions soon discovered that Iara was not a normal woman. She was loud, rude, and extremely trying. Aragorn could sense the immediate attraction between Legolas and Iara, but he knew that Legolas was too noble to court her in such trying times. But obviously Iara had other ideas, walking very close to the Elf and accidentally on purpose brushing her swinging arms against his legs. Aragorn could sense  
  
his friend getting more and more tenser as the hike went on.  
  
Suddenly Iara stopped abruptly and moved toward a particularly fat tree. "Here," she said, brushing some vines away from the trunk to reveal a grooved ladder embedded in the tree. Motioning them to follow, she swiftly climbed into the upper canopy.  
  
Aragorn smiled inwardly as he watched Legolas's eyes follow the Lady's backside as she scaled the tree.  
  
"I do not think she would be opposed to courting!" Aragorn announced as Gimli ambled up the ladder, leaving the two of them alone.  
  
The Elf blushed slightly, looking at the ground. "Is my attraction that obvious?"  
  
"Aye, it is, even to her!" Aragorn replied. "She seems unusual in that she is very open and physical with her own attraction," he continued before climbing the ladder.  
  
Legolas pondered this before swiftly following.  
  
*****  
  
Once they all emerged above the canopy, they found themselves on a small open platform, with an enclosed end that seemed to be split into two levels.  
  
"There is someone that would like to see you in there," Iara explained, gesturing to the enclosed part on the lower level, "If you need anything I will be up there," she explained before retreating into the upper level.  
  
Once again Aragorn noticed the fixation of Legolas's eyes, but before he could comment a man in a white cloak walked out of the enclosed area. His cloak was hooded and his head was bowed. Gimli gasped, thinking that it must be Saruman, considering their location. Legolas reached for his daggers, and Aragorn's hand shot to Andúril. But before they struck, the man spoke. "Hello, my friends," he said in a soft but powerful voice which Aragorn found to be very reminiscent of Gandalf's. Gimli said, half from instinct, half in disbelief, "Gandalf?"  
  
The man raised his head and said, "Yes. That was what you called me, wasn't it? I am he. But my color has changed. Now I am Gandalf the White."  
  
He told them that they needed to make haste to the country of Rohan so that they could help the King, who would soon be in dire need. "Now we must leave. Legolas, please retrieve Iara and tell her we will be leaving," Gandalf requested.  
  
Legolas bowed his head in response, then swiftly went to fetch the Elf- maiden.  
  
Moments later the three males heard a startled yelp and the stammering apologies of Legolas.  
  
Gimli and Aragorn raised their eyebrows almost in unison as Gandalf just grinned mischeivously.  
  
*****  
  
Legolas swiftly scaled the ladder, approaching the curtained doorway, knocking briefly the wood next to the door before entering, only to exit immediately.  
  
"I'm sorry...I didn't...Oh, dear!" Legolas stammered, after Iara yelped in surprise. She had been naked to the waist, attempting to heal something on her side.  
  
"Is everything alright up there, friend?" Aragorn's voice floated up to him, and he could hear Gimli laughing.  
  
Leaning over the railing, he scowled at the three that were grinning up at him. His attention was diverted as Iara emerged from the room. She had thrown her white shirt on, but not her bodice.  
  
"I apologize, Lady, I should have waited for permission before entering your private quarters." Legolas apologized without really looking at her out of embarrassment.  
  
"Aye, you should be, but with me joining your quest something like that would have happened eventually," she replied.  
  
"Wait, you can not come, you may be harmed! I don't want anything to happen to you!" Legolas replied, looking at her.  
  
She grinned slyly at the last part of his statement. "Well, I was trained as a warrior, not a lady, and I need to avenge my family's lives. Gandalf informed me that eventually you all will come to face Saruman, and I plan to be there. I feel I'll have a better chance if I attack with a group to watch my back. As for the without harm part, you can help now," she explained, lifting the edge of her shirt up an inch or two, revealing a long, thin cut  
  
that ran up her side, and continued up the front of her torso, going underneath the shirt. "I was caught unprepared early this morning while trying to bathe at a nearby pond. When you can't heal well anyway, healing yourself is nearly impossible. And from what I hear, Elves of Mirkwood are remarkable healers."  
  
"What attacked you?" he asked, trying to examine the wound without getting too close.  
  
Iara blushed with embarrassment. "The pond is quite deep, I was diving from over- hanging trees, I misjudged a jump and the tip of a branch caught me."  
  
He grinned with amusement. "You're not like other Elves, are you?" he asked, motioning to her to turn so that he could get a better look.  
  
"Several hundred centuries ago the Lord fell in love with a Rohan shieldmaiden. From that union was born my mother, so I am not purely Elf. The immortality and heightened senses are there, but my grace and healing skills are almost nonexistent," she explained.  
  
Legolas nodded in understanding, only half listening as he reached out, healing the visible part of the cut, trailing from the bottom to the edge of the shirt. "How far up does this go?" he asked, hoping that it was not much further.  
  
"To about halfway up my chest," she replied, pulling the shirt up further.  
  
Legolas audibly gulped as she did this. When she stopped not only could he see the rest of the wound but also the bottoms of her breasts, despite her attempts to shield them. As quickly as possible he finished healing the wound.  
  
When he finished, she disappeared into the enclosure, emerging moments later with a pack, her bow and her quiver, and she had replaced her bodice, also adding a cloak.  
  
"Let us go!"  
  
*****  
  
"No, I refuse!" Iara protested as they neared the horses.  
  
"Lady, even I am riding," Gimli said. "It is the only way to reach Rohan in time."  
  
Iara crossed her arms and shook her head in refusal.  
  
"Lady Iara, you have three choices. You may stay and protect your forest. You can come with us and ride behind either Legolas or myself. Or, if you choose to come, yet still refuse to ride, I will tie you over my LAP!" Aragorn told her gruffly.  
  
"You wouldn't dare..." Before Iara could protest anymore, Aragorn lifted her up, slung her across his lap, and took off in the direction of Rohan.  
  
Gandalf and Gimli laughed loudly as they followed on Shadowfax. Legolas stared in amazement, it was a funny sight and she had refused to ride, but Iara was a Lady. Quickly he caught up with the others.  
  
*****  
  
"Behold Rohan," Gandalf announced as they rode over the top of a crest. Before them stood a manor, Meduseld, atop the hill of Edoras.  
  
"Perhaps it would be more proper if the Lady was riding correctly, rather than slung over a saddle like a spoil of war," Gimli suggested before they started again.  
  
Iara twisted to glare at Aragorn, who was trying not to laugh. "Perhaps," was all that he could say. But before he could move her, Legolas rode up beside them, lifted Iara out of Aragorn's lap, and seated her in front of himself on his horse. "We Elves must stick together," he whispered before speeding off toward the gate.  
  
The other three grinned in both amusement and a strange sort of relief. "Finally," was all Gimli could say, and he spoke what the other two had on their minds.  
  
*****  
  
"Hail, comers from afar, I am the doorward of Théodén," said a guard as they approached the door to the main manor. He eyed them with uncertainty and confusion at Iara. "Hama is my name. Here I must bid you lay aside your weapons before you enter."  
  
He accepted the weapons from Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn. He practically ignored Iara when she offered hers, only pausing to peer at her bosom and sneer. He took Glamdring from Gandalf, then asked, "Your staff, my Lord."  
  
Gandalf leaned heavily upon it and said, "You would not part and old man with his walking stick?"  
  
The guard bowed his head in apology as he motioned for the doors to be opened.  
  
Legolas schooled his features in a blank scowl as he watched Gandalf lean heavily on Iara's arm, acting as though she was the only thing keeping him upright. Inside he was laughing loudly at the men's stupidity.  
  
The five companions went forward into a long hall heated only by one hearth filled with a low burning fire. Ahead of them was a dais with three steps, atop which was a great chair. Upon it sat a man so bent with age that his white hair, which was long and thick, set off by a thin golden circlet set upon his brow, nearly reached the floor.  
  
Beside him crouched a pale man whispering in his ears. Legolas and Iara's Elfish hearing could pick up what was said. "The four travelers and their Elf woman have entered. She holds weapons like she can actually use them."  
  
"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théodén, son of Thengel," said Gandalf.  
  
"What courtesy should I offer you, Gandalf Stormcrow? Your tidings are nothing but that of woe!" the elderly King coughed out in a dying voice.  
  
"Well said, my Lord," the pale man said.  
  
Suddenly Gandalf stepped away from Iara and strode to the dais. "The wise speak only of what they know, Grima son of Gálmód. A witless worm have you become. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving man till the lightning falls." He raised his staff as a clap of thunder was heard.  
  
"I told you to take his staff!" Grima shouted as several guards stepped forward, intending to stop Gandalf. But before they came within ten steps of him, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli took them down, while Iara tripped and held down Grima. "I suggest you stay down," she growled as she pushed harder with the heel of her boot on his breastbone.  
  
Gandalf began speaking in an odd tone to Théodén. "Théodén King, hearken to my voice! For too long have you sat on this throne, only influenced by the twisted counsels of Grima. I name him Wormtongue, for your words are poison to those to whom you feed them. Théodén, you must escape the words of this betrayer. Come, stand, walk outside, and breathe the free air!"  
  
Gandalf helped the King to stand, and walked beside him out of the hall of Meduseld. Théodén gasped at the sight of his country, for he had not seen it for some time. Hope returned to his heart, and he returned to the hall, enraged at Grima.  
  
"A wormtongue you have, Grima! For I trusted you, and you have ruined my mind, and made me feel old, weak, and worthless. Nevermore shall you serve me." And with that, Theoden kicked the man, and Grima got up, rushed outside, mounted a horse, and took off in the direction of Isengard.  
  
Gandalf pondered, and thought that this might not have been the best idea that Theoden had ever had...but he would not try to follow Grima, no matter what destruction he might bring in the end.  
  
  
  
End ch !  
  
So until my brain starts working, or Val my beta-bitca decides to0 get creative it's all your going to get!!!  
  
So review dammit 


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